Alfred Lord Tennyson "Ulysses" (1840) Flashcards
Form
Dramatic monologue (interest in psychology)
Written in blank verse (conversational tone)
Written with iambic pentameter
Socio-political context
British Imperialism:
Expresses the conceited belief of the Victorians that they were better than those they had conquered.
Reflects the restless spirit of the era, characterised by an insatiable thirst of the human soul for more knowledge and discovery.
Personal context
Mortality:
Death of a close friend Arthur Hallam.
Ulysses’ determination to persevere until his death reflects Tennyson’s own choice in favour of life upon the traumatic news of the death of his friend (his choice to continue living purposefully is also “heroic”).
Socio-political context
“I mete and dole // Unequal laws unto a savage race, // That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.”
Harsh sounds – reflects the perceived hostility and inferiority of his people.
Condescending tone – emphasises the speaker’s superiority
Repetition & Caesura – creates a listing effect, which highlights his peoples’ inferiority by characterising them as boring, frustrating, and monotonous.
Socio-political context
“I am a part of all that I have met; // Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ // Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades // For ever and forever when I move.”
Metaphor – the speaker compares his experiences to an arch (which appears neverending) and compares the untravelled world to the horizon, which will always move away from him despite how much he travels towards it. This reflects an insatiable desire for more knowledge and discovery.
Socio-political context
“And this gray spirit, yearning in desire // To follow knowledge like a sinking star, // Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.”
Simile – the speaker compares knowledge to a “sinking star,” implying that it is ultimately fleeting and unattainable. This creates a sense of urgency in his pursuit.
This also indicates the speaker’s desire for knowledge beyond human comprehension, expressing the value of his near-impossible pursuit above any other physical achievements.
Personal context
“I will drink // Life to the lees:”
Metaphor – the speaker compares life to wine, where lees refers to the sediment accumulated at the bottom of the bottle, to express his desire to live life to the fullest until it’s very end.
Personal context
“but every hour is saved // From that eternal silence, something more, // A bringer of new things”
Metaphor – the “eternal silence” represents death and mortality, however the optimistic tone highlights the speaker’s choice to live purposefully and experience new things despite his impending death.
